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DWCW-TV
DWCW-TV, virtual channel 40 (UHF analog channel 40/UHF digital channel 20), is a dual NBC/CW-affiliated television station licensed to Quezon City, Philippines. It is owned by VGC, Inc., making it sister to FV+ owned-and-operated station DWFV-TV (virtual/analog channel 20). VGC also owns 50% of PlayStation TV, Inc., making the two stations sisters to PlayStation TV owned-and-operated station DZPS-TV (virtual/analog/digital channel 26), and a broadcast triopoly. DWCW and DWFV share major studios and offices in the VGC Building in Manila, while maintaining lot in the VGC Plaza in Parañaque, and the VGC Broadcasting Complex in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, as well as separate analog transmitter operations at the FILMETMEDIA Building (coincidentally owned by former owner Metromedia's successor company Fox and Fox International owner The Walt Disney Company. History Metromedia in the Capital before DWCW (1960-1974) In 1960, Metromedia signed on DZXX-TV (channel 20, now defunct) as Manila's first independent television station. UHF penetration, unlike the US, is high in the Manila area, thanks to the VTV brand for television sets owned by VGC, which then-owned DZVC-TV (channel 85, later DWTV and merged channel spectrum with DWFV (then channel 111) and DWUP (channel 216; also merged)), DZXX-TV instantaneously became the #2 station outside the VHF band (2-13), only behind DZVC-TV. In 1974, with VGC searching for UHF translators, first launching D26VC in Olongapo City (now DZPS-TV in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan), VGC knew they should by a strong signal for regular UHF-capable TVs to see VGC programming. At the same time, though remaining #2, DZXX ratings faltered. Metromedia decided to make a new start on a new television station and sold DZXX to VGC. As soon as VGC took control of channel 20, it became a UHF VGC translator. As DWFS-TV (1974-2006) Independent (1974-1986) After Metromedia sold DZXX to VGC, they signed on DWFS-TV on UHF channel 36. It was a general entertainment station. Though independent, in local news ratings (the other stations did not have local news; even today), DWFS passed DZVC to being #1, most likely due to their innovation of a 9:00pm newscast, similar to their American stations' innovations in a 10:00pm newscast. Ratings start to decline in 1980, most likely due to a controversial event, when one of their news anchors said something against then-President Ferdinand Marcos during a live 10:00pm promo. :"What the fu**! Marcos is not doing everything right! He ruined it! He should have not been President in the first place! Fu** Marcos! Fu** Martial Law! FU** METROCOM! I hope he could die in the years to come due to ailments!" Metromedia was fined PHP 500,000 for the rant, and the news anchor was fired and arrested soon after. Coincidentally, the said anchor's rant became reality, when Marcos died in 1989, 3 years after his exile, in Honolulu, Hawaii due to ailments. As a Fox affiliate (1986-2006) Metromedia, in a process of a buyout by Australian newspaper publisher and American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, decided to leave Philippine broadcasting and sold DWFS to VGC. Despite the purchase, DWFS, became a Fox affiliate, in an agreement with Murdoch. DWFS made history, along with VGC's other stations (namely, DZVC, DWFV, and DWUP), with the implementation of ISDB digital television for VGC stations. DWFS added a second subchannel affiliated with ABC. In local UHF ratings, circa 1999, DWFS was third place, ahead of VGC's other stations, and behind DZCP (channel 54; now DTV) and DWAM-TV (channel 26; now on channel 30). As a CW affiliate; 2006 channel move (2006-2017) VGC, in an agreement with News Corporation (now Fox Corporation and News Corp) and CBS/TimeWarner, decided to swap affiliations between DWFS and DWFV-DT2, with the latter, then a WB affiliate, taking over the Fox affiliation as soon as The WB folds and DWFS becoming the affiliate of the new The CW television network. The switch took place on September 18, 2006. The CW affiliation became a benefit, as they can expand their newscasts, since The CW only airs like Fox's early years as a major network. The station also moved to channel 40, as the NTC swapped the allocation, moving 36 to Pampanga, when Central Luzon Broadcasting Corporation would launch its 10 year construction permit into DWRW-TV in 2008. It also changed calls to DWCW-TV In Nielsen ratings, DWCW was 3rd place during the channel move. NBC affiliation/The CW moves to DT2 (2017-present) VGC renewed it LMA contract with NBC for operating FV+ affiliate DYNB-TV in Cebu (channel 4; now FV+ majority owned-and-operated station). As part of the contract, NBC asked for moving its affiliation from DWTV (which became its affiliate after the VGC network moved to DWFV) to DWCW, giving it more viewers. VGC announced a joint venture with NBC called VGNB, with VGC owning 55% of DYNB and 45% of FV+ affiliate DZNB-TV (channel 2) in Baguio, and NBC owning the other stake of the latter stations. As part of the venture, VGC also announced affiliation switches as follows: * DWCW-TV moves it CW affiliation to DT2 as it will obtain the NBC affiliation. * DWTV, the former NBC affiliate, will take the ABC affiliation from DWCW-DT2. DWTV-DT2 will retain its CBS affiliation. The switch took place at 11:30pm on December 31, 2016, after the station's 11:00pm newscast, with the start of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Two-time aborted sale to Tegna VGC announced in a VGC Television Stations press conference back in December 2013, the company's owner, the Villenas, announced that they would sell DWCW to Gannett Broadcasting (now Tegna), but it was aborted because of the corporate restructuring at Gannett. In another press conference back in December 2017, VGC attempted to sell DWCW again to Tegna, but after complaints about the new graphics and music, VGC ultimately denied the sale. Digital television Digital subchannels The station's digital channel is multiplexed: Analog-to-digital conversion VGC, the parent company of DWCW-TV, announced that its television group will switch to digital on January 1, 2020, as the NTC is progressing to migrate all Philippine television stations to digital television in 2023. After January 1, regular NBC programming will be discontinued on UHF channel 40, and it will be replaced with VGC's DTV Switch infomercials sponsored by the NTC with local news reports until the transmitter is shut off on February 1, 2020. DWCW-DT2 DWCW-DT2 is the CW-affiliated second digital subchannel of DWCW-TV, broadcasting in 720p high definition on UHF channel 20.8 (or virtual channel 40.2 via PSIP). DWCW is branded on-air as The CW 40.2 based on its virtual channel. Cable providers carry DWCW on different channel positions, in SD and HD. History DWFS-TV, as it is called at the time, launched their second digital subchannel on October 5, 1998 to be an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company. The previous history of a handful of ABC programs saw that they were carried through various cable channels, remaining carriage after DWFS-DT2 launched. Spectrum reallocation Even after DWCW (changed callsign from DWFS; obtained CW affiliation) moved to analog channel 40, the station still used the channel 36 unit for digital broadcast until January 20, 2019, when VGC sold the analog and digital on-air spectrum of DWCW, DWFV, DWTV, and DWUP, and the licenses of the two latter stations and DZXX-TV to the NTC for PHP 500 million. As a result, DZXX, DWUP, and DWTV shut down their analog and digital signals on January 28, 2019, with DWFV acquiring the latter two stations' affiliations and launching the VGC Music digital channel on UHF/virtual 20.6, and DWCW going to the UHF channel 20.7/20.8 position. The station kept its virtual channel as channel 40.1/40.2. Programming DWCW clears the entire NBC network schedule, clearing from the Asian feed at NBC's Cebu Satellite Center, which houses NBC subchannel DYNB-DT2 (channel 4.2; 4.1 affiliated with FV+). And DWCW-DT2 clears the entire CW primetime lineup, clearing from the Asian feed at the CBS Broadcast Center in Laoag, which houses CW subchannel DWOR-DT2. Though clearing the entire NBC schedule, DWCW, airs the primetime lineup through the Asian Feed 2 from Dagupan sister station DZRK-DT2, resulting on shows aired from 7pm to 10pm, in order to maintain a 10pm newscast after the main signal's switch to NBC. News operation The news schedule is broadcast (NBC = 40.1/CW = 40.2) as follows: *Replays of NBC 40 News not aired from 3am to 4am on DT1 on Wednesdays. Since switching from ABC to CW, DWCW-DT2 added a 10pm newscast and 11:30pm newscast. DWCW, in total, produces Gallery DWFS-TV ID (1986 MOCK) bandicam 2019-07-21 11-07-55-949.jpg|Testcard from 1986-1998 dwcwtv screencap August 7, 2018.png|Screencap from August 7, 2018. Category:Television channels and stations established in 1974 Category:Television stations and channels established in 1974 Category:Manila Category:Quezon City Category:Metro Manila Category:NBC affiliated stations Category:Current NBC Affiliates Category:CW subchannel-only affiliated stations Category:Philippines Category:Channel 40 Category:Villena Broadcast Holdings Corporation